On Sacred Ground: Journalism, Education, Trauma Conference 2024

Cost: free for presenters and panelists

$25 per day for non-presenters

Registration is now closed.  Contact Desiree Hill d.hill@ou.edu if you would like to attend and a slot opens up.

NEW INFORMATION: HOTEL LINK HYATT PLACE DOWNTOWN OKC

The rate should be $124 per night. Please let me know if you have any difficulties.

INFORMATION ABOUT VISITING OKLAHOMA CITY

STREETCAR FROM HYATT PLACE TO CONFERENCE SITE

Most of us will meet up the evening of June 12 at the hotel and head over to the Memorial together for a sunset tour and information session on the outdoor grounds (see schedule below for times).   We will take the streetcar ($1 per ride, or $3 unlimited rides for the day) and I will show you the best way to get to the Memorial (the Federal Courthouse stop).  This route will take you about 15 minutes from the hotel.  From the hotel the streetcar stop is just down the street.   The Memorial is about a mile away from the hotel for those who will want to walk.  Uber costs on a test run were about $10 from hotel to Memorial. The best entrance to enter for the conference is on the north side of the building.

STREETCAR INFORMATION

*If your organization would like to join as a sponsor, please contact Desiree Hill.

On Sacred Ground: Journalism, Education, and Trauma Conference 2024

June 13-14, 2024

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Oklahoma City, OK

June 12

(Optional)

6:00-7:00 p.m. Wine and appetizers hospitality suite

Sponsored by TITAN (Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity and Injustice, The University of Tulsa)

7:30-8:30 - VIP Tour and information session of Oklahoma City National Memorial Symbolic Grounds

(Dinner out near hotel optional)

June 13

8:30 a.m. Mingle, coffee, and breakfast snacks

Breakfast and snacks sponsored by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters

9:00 a.m. OFFICIAL WELCOME, KARI WATKINS, PRESIDENT & CEO OKC NATIONAL MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

Mayor David Holt, welcome to Oklahoma City

Keynote opening, Kari Watkins

JETREG Welcome, Ola Ogunyemi & Lada Price

10:00 a.m.

THE STATE OF TRAUMA-INFORMED JOURNALISM AND EDUCATION

Bridging the Divide Between Journalism Education and Practice

Lada Price, Ph.D., University of Sheffield

New Approaches to Trauma Training in the Industry

The TraumaAwareJournalism.org project

Dave Seglins, CBC News Journalist & Well-being Champion

Discussant: Elana Newman, Ph.D., The University of Tulsa & Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

11:00 a.m.

PAPER SESSION: TOOLS FOR JOURNALISTS AND TEACHERS

Building Resilient Journalists and News Organizations

Barbara S. Gainey, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

Mitigating Media's Emotional Manipulation: Tools for Journalists

Shahariar Nobel, Oklahoma State University

Skye Cooley, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University

Reactions to Depictions of Officer-Involved Shootings: Guidance for Journalism Practices

Meg Grundy, Amanda Gentz, & Elana Newman, Ph.D.

Discussant: Matthew Pearson, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

Noon-1:30 p.m.

Lunch break

Dinner announcement/menu choices

Lunch keynote: FIRST PERSON OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING PANEL

Clint Seidl, family member

Clytie Bunyan, 1995 journalist and injury victim

Desiree Hill, 1995 journalist, researcher

Sponsored by Oklahoma Press Association

1:30-2:30 p.m. PAPER PRESENTATIONS: GENDER AND SAFETY FOR JOURNALISTS

Resilience Under Fire: The Plight of Female Journalists in Conflict Zones

Maha Bashri, Ph.D., University of United Arab Emirates University

Gender and Journalism Safety: The Role of Public Venting Out in the Healing Process of a Female Victim of Severe Trauma

Benedine Azanu, Ph.D., Ghana Institute of Journalism

Mob Censorship, Trolling and Resilience of Journalists in Nigeria: A Systemic Response Approach

Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, Ph.D., University of Lagos

Safety and Trauma: Towards an Initial Diagnosis of the Safety Conditions of Spanish Journalists

Leire Iturregui, Ph.D., University of the Basque Country

Discussant: Joy Jenkins, Ph.D., University of Missouri

2:30-2:45 p.m. Break

2:45-3:45 PAPER PRESENTATIONS: MASS SHOOTINGS AND NATURAL DISASTERS

"Too close? That ship had sailed": Journalists who stayed in Uvalde

Lisa Krantz, University of Missouri

Reporting from Uvalde: Understanding Journalists’ Trauma Responses to Covering Mass Shootings

Jesus Ayala, California State University

The risk of being a journalist in a natural disaster

Norihelys Ramos, Freelance Journalist/audio producer (Puerto Rico)

Living with Trauma: Mental Wellbeing of Journalists in Peshawar amid Historical Events and Continuous Challenges

Altaf Khan, Ph.D., Forman Christian College University, Lahore, Pakistan

Discussant: Gretchen Hoak, Ph.D., Kent State University

3:45-4:00

BREAK

4:00-4:45 WAR CORRESPONDENT CONVERSATION

Anthony Feinstein, Ph.D., University of Toronto

Mike Boettcher, University of Oklahoma

Carlos Boettcher, Producer, NewsNation

4:45-6:00 p.m.

Network and mingle/visit the museum-open till 6

6:30-7:30 KWTV – TOUR OF STATION

Chuck Maulden, Vice-President of News, Griffin Communications

Dealing with trauma and burnout in the workplace

7:30 Dinner

Café De L’asie (Asian Fusion Restaurant)

Sponsored by Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame

June 14

8:30 a.m.

Mingle, coffee, and breakfast snacks

Breakfast and snacks sponsored by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters

9:00-10:30 a.m. WORKSHOP FOR FACULTY: INTEGRATING TRAUMA AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS INTO JOURNALISM CURRICULUM

Elana Newman, Ph.D., The University of Tulsa & Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

10:30-11:30 PAPER PRESENTATIONS: TRAUMA AWARENESS AND LITERACY METHODS

Simulated solutions: Using a clinical simulation exercise to prepare journalism students for trauma-intensive interviews

Matthew Pearson, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

Virtually prepared: Using VR to build trauma awareness and resilience in journalism students

Gretchen Dworznik Hoak, Ph.D., Kent State University

Integrating Trauma Literacy in Journalism Curriculum – A Study Among Journalism Educators in India

Shilpa Kalyan, Ph.D., Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal, India)

M. Das, Maulana Abdul Kalam University of Technology

S. Ali, University of Malakand

A. Abeykoon, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

M. Rasheed, University of Khulna, Khulna, Bangladesh

Tanushree, Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University

A. Kumari, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Teaching Trauma-Informed Reporting: A Resilience Building Syllabus

Marissa Evans, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Discussant: Ola Ogunyemi, Ph.D., University of Lincoln

11:30-1:00 p.m. LUNCH BREAK

JETREG Future Conference(s) announcement

Ola Ogunyemi, University of Lincoln

GLOBAL STUDY ON THE SAFETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE

Keynote speaker: John Bosco Mayiga, UNESCO

Sponsored by The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

1:00-2:00 p.m.

PANEL: PREPPING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO NAVIGATE CRISIS, TRAUMA AND RECOVERY WITH 360° VIDEO AND MORE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Dorothy Bland, Ph.D., UNT

Andrea Miller, Ph.D., UNT

Randy Loftis, UNT

Cydne Robinson, UNT journalism graduate

2:00-2:15

BREAK

2:15-3:15

PAPER PRESENTATIONS: WAR AND TRAUMATIC EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD

The impact of the post-October 7 war on the psychological and physical safety of journalists in the Gaza Strip: An applied study on a sample of journalists in Gaza

Hanan Hassan Mohamed Elgendi, Ph.D., Ahram Canadian University in Cairo

War trauma among Central-Eastern European foreign correspondents and local fixers covering the war in Ukraine

Joy Jenkins, Ph.D., University of Missouri

Teodora Trifonova, University of Missouri

From Combatants to Correspondents: Assessing the Impact of Former Child Soldiers on Journalism in South Sudan

Kennedy Jawoko, Seneca College

Organizational Level Factors Influencing a Journalist's Gatekeeping Role in
the Coverage of Traumatic Incidents in Pakistan

Rahman Ullah, Ph.D., Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat, Pakistan

Discussant: Anthony Feinstein, Ph.D., University of Toronto

3:15-4:00 p.m. PAPER PRESENTATIONS: INDUSTRY ISSUES

Stayers and leavers: Understanding why people stay in or leave local journalism

Jessica Mahone, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Thompson

Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media

“[Corporate] needs to act like they give a f***”: A qualitative study on perceived organizational support in the local news industry.
Kennedy Breasette, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma

“I Love What I Do; I Just Can't”: Examining Job Burnout Among Generation Z Local Television Journalists

Amanda Siew, University of Oklahoma

Discussant: Lisa Krantz, University of Missouri

4:00-5:00 p.m. INTERACTIVE: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Moderator: Desiree Hill

Research about researchers and trauma announcement

5:00 p.m. CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

**ABOUT THE CONFERENCE**

The Journalism Education Trauma Research Group (JETREG) is hosting the first-of-its-kind conference to be held in the United States. The conference will take place at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the 1995 bombing on June 13 and 14, 2024 (with optional activities June 12). It is the second annual international in-person conference organized by JETREG. UNESCO,  the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, and the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College are among the co-sponsors of the event.

“On Sacred Ground: Journalism, Education, and Trauma Conference 2024” features a workshop for educators facilitated by Elana Newman, McFarlin Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Faculty in Media Studies at the University of Tulsa; and Research Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Newman’s workshop will focus on trauma-informed practices for educators training future journalists in self-care and preparation for traumatic story content. Anthony Feinstein is a is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the first researcher to study effects of trauma on war journalists. Feinstein will host a conversation with combat journalists at the event. Participants will also have a private tour of the National Memorial Museum and grounds.  

Research demonstrates that almost every journalist will experience a traumatic story at some point in their career. Producers, video editors, and digital journalists can experience emotional distress without leaving the newsroom, as they work with disturbing imagery, such as horrific scenes from the wars in Israel/Gaza and Ukraine and scenes of mass shootings. As a result, JETREG challenges educators around the world to implement trauma-informed teaching and training in university classrooms. The conference takes on the topics of trauma, PTSD, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and emotional labor in journalism work, as well as research surrounding self-care, resilience, and organizational support. We seek the perspectives of international scholars from different disciplines, practicing journalists/freelancers/editors on coping strategies and/or newsroom support that may have pedagogical relevance.

Launched in 2020 by Ola Ogunyemi at the University of Lincoln and Lada Price at the University of Sheffield, JETREG is a thriving international research group comprising over 250 members across the world with seven regional research hubs in Europe, North/South America, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, South Asia and MENA who will be represented at the event.

Topics of interest for this conference may include, but are not limited to:

• Impact of journalists’ exposure to traumatic events
• Stress, burnout and PTSD in journalism practice
• Educational methods for preparing future journalists for trauma in their work
• Addressing barriers to trauma literacy in journalism practice and education
• Skills and capacity to cope with the effects of exposure to traumatic events
• Enhancing resilience in journalism
• Best practices and innovation in journalism pedagogy in building emotional resilience
• Emotional literacy and psychological safety in journalism
• Secondary traumatic stress regarding violent imagery
• Institutional responses to trauma in newsrooms; support mechanisms
• Issues surrounding burnout, turnover, and satisfaction in media work
• Mental health/wellbeing among journalists and journalism students/trainees
• ‘Moral injury’ in journalism

Questions may be directed to North American JETREG leaders Desiree Hill d.hill@ou.edu and cc’d to co-leader Matthew Pearson matthewpearson@cunet.carleton.ca . 

Conference sponsors:

Journalism Education Trauma Research Group

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma Press Association

Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame

Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters

Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity and Injustice (TITAN), at the University of Tulsa